Authors Nina Nazarova and Sviatoslav Khomenko Release Book Detailing the Abduction of Ukrainian Children by Russia
Journalists Nina Nazarova and Sviatoslav Khomenko have published a new book titled Stolen Youth: How Russia Kidnaps Ukrainian Children — And How Ukrainians Get Them Back. According to the authors, the publication documents four distinct stories of families separated from their children following the full-scale invasion in 2022, highlighting the systematic transfer of Ukrainian children into Russia.
Key points
- Journalists Nina Nazarova and Sviatoslav Khomenko published a new book titled Stolen Youth.
- The book details four family stories of separation and the processes by which Ukrainian children were taken to Russia.
- The International Criminal Court ruled the removal of children from Ukraine to be a war crime in 2023 and issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.
- The authors report that thousands of Ukrainian children remain in Russia under altered identities and changed citizenship.
What Happened
Journalists Nina Nazarova and Sviatoslav Khomenko released a new book titled Stolen Youth: How Russia Kidnaps Ukrainian Children — And How Ukrainians Get Them Back, published in cooperation with the StraightForward Foundation and Meduza. The book explores the stories of four families who were separated from their children after the full-scale invasion in 2022, examining the methods used to transfer children from Ukraine into Russia and the efforts made by Ukrainians to bring them home.
Who Said What
Co-author Nina Nazarova described watching a 2022 live broadcast where Russian officials openly discussed bringing thousands of Ukrainian children into Russia from destroyed cities. Sviatoslav Khomenko noted that the targeting of Ukrainian children sharply distinguishes the conflict from other contemporary wars. The authors stated that Russian state officials utilized expedited passport issuances and new family placements, framing the actions as a rescue operation while systematically altering the identities of the displaced minors.
Context
According to the authors, thousands of Ukrainian children ended up in Russia through various scenarios, including fleeing combat zones through Russian borders, removal from occupied territories under false pretenses such as school trips, or being sent by parents to Russian children's camps to escape danger. In 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague ruled that the removal of children from Ukraine constituted a war crime, subsequently issuing arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.
